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66
In the meantime, the Council's rehousing scheme on the S.E. side
of Doddington Grove nears completion.
Already out of a total of 219 flats 158 have been completed, which
are all occupied.
It has been decided to erect in the near future a further 64 flats on
the N.W. side of Doddington Grove to enable the Council to rehouse
families from a few small areas on the sites of which rehousing is
impossible.
Apart from the Municipal housing activities, other voluntary
agencies are assisting, or have expressed their wish to assist, in the
general campaign.
The Church Army Housing, Ltd., have expresed their willingness to
assist the Council in rehousing on suitable sites, and to this end two
or three suggested sites are under their consideration.
Recently the Southwark Housing Association came into being, and
this small body of people has already done useful work in reconstructing
large three or four-storied houses and converting them into three or
four self-contained flats, which they let at reasonable rentals.
Many of the remarks I made in last year's Report could well be
repeated again, but I content myself by once more emphasising the
fact that the problem of overcrowding with all its attendant horrors is
still as acute as ever. Several bad cases had been found other accommodation
during the year, but many, owing to the large size of the families
or the smallness of the income, have had to be left in their miserable
condition.
One is very reluctant to take action in these cases; in fact it would be
wantonly callous to do so unless suitable accommodation can be offered.
The present working rule of your Health Department is as follows:—
Records of all cases of abated overcrowding are kept and the
owner of the The house or rooms is notified that they must not be let in
such a manner as to cause overcrowding in the future.
To ensure that such instructions are carried out, the premises are
visited periodically by the Inspector of the district.
Towards the end of the year the Council decided that better use
should be made of the "repairing" section of the Housing Act than